EIP Project Database

Find EIP-AGRI projects in Germany

You can find projects by searching for:

  • "Suchbegriff" = Search item, like "pig", "animal welfare" or "climate" ...
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Thuringian advisory and management system "Tail biting"

Authority

Thüringer Ministerium für Infrastruktur und Landwirtschaft

Federal State

Thuringia

Contact

Werner-Seelenbinder-Str. 8
99096 Erfurt

Website: External link to the authority

Project Title

Thuringian advisory and management system "Tail biting"

Project description

For the pilot project, 18 Thuringian farmers joined forces with associations, veterinarians, consultants and experts to form an operational group. The aim was to establish a tried and tested advisory and management system in order to gain experience on how to be able to raise and fatten pigs with undocked tails in the long term without any animal welfare-related injuries or loss of cuts. The complexity of the causes for the occurrence of tail lesions makes it clear that all influencing factors must be optimized in order to be able to achieve a step-by-step change in cropping practice.

The close cooperation in the project took place over four essential stages: 1. Status survey in the farms (cause / risk analysis); 2. Training of advicers and veterinarians, operational advice of the farmers on risk reduction; 3. implementation of individual farm action plans; 4. Trials for keeping small groups of uncropped animals.

Results focusing on practiceorientation

The project showed that in every stage of pig husbandry (piglet production, rearing, fattening) the many influencing factors must be analyzed and risks eliminated before small groups of uncocked animals can be kept. The optimization process requires (a lot of) time and serious cooperation with everyone involved (veterinarian, equipment supplier for stable climate / housing technology, feed supplier). The entire chain of pig farming must be included, i.e. also the piglet producer. Individual measures won't bring immediate effects and successes. The optimization process must be constantly monitored and redesigned if the conditions change. Undocked animal groups place higher demands on husbandry, genetics, and care. Throug an constant traning of employees an an intensive animal observation aberrance in animal behaviour can bequickly identified and adjusted.

Key words

Animal husbandry

Main funding source

Rural development 2014-2020 for Operational Groups (in the sense of Art 56 of Reg.1305/2013)

OG contact information

Tierproduktion Alkersleben GmbH
Am Wald 1
98639 Rippershausen

Phone: +49 (0) 3693 897233

Email: info@poels-gmbh.de

Type of OG partners

  • Farmer
  • Advisor
  • Climate/environment/nature organisation or agency

Begin of project

2016

Project status

completed

Total budget applied for in EUR

126,049

Further information

2015 LFE 0020

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